SH2 median barriers

It's great to see the first section (just over 1.5km) of median barriers installed along State Highway 2 between Whakatiki and Gibbons Streets; an additional 193m of side barriers has also been added around the intersections.

We’re now gearing up for installation of the second section between Gibbons Street and Tōtara Park Road, with work scheduled to begin on Sunday 8 October 2023 – weather dependent.

Once this is completed (anticipated for late October), we will pause and review the remaining section which runs between Tōtara Park Road and Fergusson Drive. 

Pausing the project will help us ensure the final design can accommodate the new road layout, while maintaining a sufficient shoulder and do further work on how the design interacts with the stop bank at the project's northern end. 

It will also mean the remaining work can happen all at once to reduce the impact on road users and see project is completed.

During this time, temporary traffic management will be removed from this corridor so normal operation of the road can resume.

We acknowledge this work has been disruptive at times and that this is a small setback. We hope to finalise the design for the third and final section so we can deliver it as soon as possible.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the project team: SH2HuttValley@nzta.govt.nz

Thank you for your patience as we make the state highway safer.

Remutaka Hill safety improvements

We hope to get underway soon with our new infrastructure improvements to make State Highway 2 over the Remutaka Hill, safer. This will see the installation of additional side barriers, motorcycle under-barriers and improved road signage and markings.

To help minimise disruption to people travelling over the hill, the installation of the first phase of safety improvements will be timed to coincide with planned maintenance work, such as road resurfacing and vegetation clearance.

We’ll be back in touch with more details once we have confirmation of when the work will get underway.

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Moonshine Hill Road/SH2 intersection safety improvements

We also wanted to let you know where things are at with installing traffic lights and other safety improvements at the Moonshine Hill Road intersection with State Highway 2.

The final design has been completed and we’re doing the last checks to ensure they meet all the necessary requirements. For example, did you know that there needs to be an 11 metre width between signs, to allow house moving trucks to drive through safely and effectively.

The design of the intersection also requires that the speed limit approaching the intersection from the south on SH2, is reduced from 100km/h to 60km/h. This is critical to ensure drivers can safely stop, when required, or slow down and pass through the intersection. Current safety and design standards mean that we can’t install the new safety improvements (specifically the new traffic lights to control the intersection), without the reduced speed limit being in place. The proposed speed reduction was included in our consultation late last year.

Changing speed limits is a legal process and there are several steps we must follow, as the road controlling authority for state highways. Due to factors beyond our control, the process was delayed, and we now expect to announce the final decision later in the year.

If we get confirmation that we can implement the speed change at the Moonshine Hill Road intersection, then we intend to proceed with the work as quickly as we can. We know this is a challenging intersection, with a clear need to improve safety and we’re keen to get cracking with the improvements.

More information

For more info about the safety improvements, please visit www.nzta.govt.nz/sh2n2f, or contact us at SH2HuttValley@nzta.govt.nz